At a press event in the Philippines to promote UFC Fight Night 66, UFC officials announced that the promotion will be returning to Japan with an event headlined by heavyweight veterans Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson. Not only that, but Barnett and Nelson …
At a press event in the Philippines to promote UFC Fight Night 66, UFC officials announced that the promotion will be returning to Japan with an event headlined by heavyweight veterans Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson. Not only that, but Barnett and Nelson will compete as coaches in a new reality show entitled Road to UFC: Japan.
The fight itself is a high-stakes affair for both men, who desperately need a win to secure their place in the division.
Barnett has long been regarded as one of the top heavyweights in MMA, with a career that includes impressive runs in the UFC, Pride, Strikeforce and Pancrase. At 37 years old, however, his days in MMA are most certainly numbered and it is easy to question his motivation of late, with 18 months separating him from his last fight, while recently splitting time as a professional wrestling commentator and Metamoris star attraction.
Nelson, meanwhile, has been struggling mightily to win fights. Being 1-4 over the last two years, Big Country has been blown away by any top-10 fighter he has come across. While a brutal win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is sandwiched between his losses, Nelson’s spot on the roster could be at risk with another loss.
While the bout is crucial for both men all on its own, the UFC is upping the stakes by putting them at the helm of Road to UFC: Japan. The series, much like the long-running The Ultimate Fighter, will feature a tournament between eight prospects who will compete with one another for a UFC contract.
The fight will take place on September 26 at the Saitama Super Arena. No other bouts have been announced, but the event will likely feature matchups involving cast members Road to UFC: Japan.
Roy Nelson is a fan favorite. He is articulate, funny and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. However, he only has one win in his last five bouts.
Has Nelson thrown in the towel on being a top-tier heavyweight?
Nelson was a noted grappler before he be…
Roy Nelson is a fan favorite. He is articulate, funny and has a crowd-pleasing fighting style. However, he only has one win in his last five bouts.
Has Nelson thrown in the towel on being a top-tier heavyweight?
Nelson was a noted grappler before he became known for his knockout power. It was seen as wise to stand and exchange with the heavyweight. He then started to catch fans’ eyes when he was knocking out his opposition in the IFL before making the move to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter.
After winning the 10th season of the show, Nelson moved into a significant tilt against Stefan Struve. Another KO win. Then the UFC pitted him against Junior dos Santos at UFC 117, where he was beaten for 15 minutes. That served as an eye-opener. Sure he had KO power, but he was still out of his depths against the upper echelon of strikers.
Virtually every time Nelson has tried to take that next step up the ladder, he has been defeated. He has taken a lot of punishment in the process.
The question of Nelson giving up is not posed because of the losses. He has taken on elite competition. The question arises because Nelson has made little to no strides in improving, and his tactics in the cage are highly questionable.
Much has always been made about Nelson’s physique. Nelson embraced it. He started coming out to Weird Al Yankovic’s “I’m Fat” for his fights. However, it is hard to imagine that, over the years, he would not have dedicated the time in the gym to become more fit and reach the next level.
Having a slim physique is overrated in the Octagon, but in most of his losses, he was at a clear physical disadvantage. His punching was slower, he did not have the ability to quickly change levels for a takedown and he struggled to keep pace with his opponent.
Nelson landed only 23 significant strikes over the course of three rounds against both Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem, with his round-by-round numbers falling significantly after the first frame. For all of his power, Nelson’s striking accuracy stands at only 33 percent. He is tough as nails, but even though he keeps walking forward, his output is dropping quickly.
The most glaring reason this question comes up is his performance against Mark Hunt.
Hunt is a stellar striker, but his ground game is awful. He has fallen victim to the most basic of submissions by the lower end of the talent pool. He has shown some defensive improvement in recent fights, but once the fight hits the turf, it should be game over against someone like Nelson.
But it wasn’t.
For all of Nelson’s grappling acumen, he wasn’t able to keep Hunt down on the mat. The “Super Samoan” defended all three first-round takedown attempts and two of three in the second round. Hunt was even a bit tired in the second when Nelson completed the lone takedown of the fight.
In Nelson’s career, he’s only 15 percent accurate on takedowns. That is horrendous for a grappler.
Nelson may be eyeing bigger things. He has taken up acting. Maybe that’s a good thing, because what is happening to his career inside the cage is not very fun to watch.
A fighter with a very solid, well-rounded skill set has been reduced to a haymaker-throwing heavyweight who is really only good for three minutes of action. If the fight goes beyond that mark, we are often treated to watching him lose brain cells as a punching bag.
At some point over the last couple of years, we should have seen some kind of improvement, but we have not.
I love Nelson, but I am not sure he is even trying anymore.
Alistair Overeem will probably be limping for a few days after spending 15 minutes smashing his shin across the amoeba-like belly of Roy Nelson at UFC 185.
The sounds of bone slamming against flesh opened the floodgates for the “oohs” and &…
Alistair Overeem will probably be limping for a few days after spending 15 minutes smashing his shin across the amoeba-like belly of Roy Nelson at UFC 185.
The sounds of bone slamming against flesh opened the floodgates for the “oohs” and “ahhs” of fans in the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night. For most of the heavyweight tilt, Nelson served as Overeem’s striking dummy, while absorbing inconceivable amounts of punishment.
“I’m banged up on my feet from kicking him,” Overeem said at the UFC 185 post-fight press conference. “Every time I hit him, I could see in his eyes he wanted to hit my head off. Every time I hit him, he got more angry, kind of like the Hulk or something.”
UFC President Dana White has been a longtime critic of Nelson, but even he had to give “Big Country” props for the heart he displayed against the former K-1 World Grand Prix champion.
“Roy Nelson is not human. The shots that guy took tonight. The kicks to the body were unbelievable,” White grimaced, when speaking about the fight with Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports 1.
Seeing a battered Nelson trudge through Overeem’s offense just to land a shot of his own was like watching a fisticuffs version ofThe Walking Dead. He even managed to drop Overeem with a punch late in the third round before losing a lopsided unanimous decision.
With his second consecutive win under his belt, Overeem now moves back into the title picture with his eyes set on a top-five heavyweight contender. A long-awaited showdown with former UFC champ Junior Dos Santos could be on tap.
Meanwhile, Nelson likely bought himself another shot in the UFC—despite being 1-4 in his last five bouts—with his typical ironman performance. But at 38 years old, the window is closing on his career.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon and FanRag Sports.
Roy Nelson is that rare fighter whose value to the sport exceeds his fighting potential, much like Matt Brown. No one is blind to his limitations, both physical and technical, yet his appeal eclipses that of many more gifted mixed martial artists. Nels…
Roy Nelson is that rare fighter whose value to the sport exceeds his fighting potential, much like Matt Brown. No one is blind to his limitations, both physical and technical, yet his appeal eclipses that of many more gifted mixed martial artists. Nelson’s gutsy—no pun intended—loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 185 only enhances his rugged reputation.
He’s “Stone Cold” Steve Austin with a mullet and a snail-like metabolism. Even Nelson’s patriotic misappropriation of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” is oddly endearing. His image is that of the everyman, and one suspects he does more to play up that persona than he’d have us believe.
We see an apparently out-of-shape 38-year-old man competing with genetically blessed, technically superior athletes and holding his own. There’s inspiration to be found in that narrative, even if it is one that’s somewhat skewed.
Nelson, of course, has always been more physically gifted than he looks. He’s not Cain Velasquez, but nor is he Cody McKenzie. He is a good athlete with a deceptively deep skill set and a right hand that could stiffen an elephant.
We’re unlikely to see Nelson even so much as fight for the title, but his value has never been in starring as the face of the UFC’s heavyweight division—this scenario is probably a fixture of Dana White’s nightmares. He’s a carnival curiosity and a desirable scalp for anyone in the heavyweight division’s top 20.
Without further delay, let’s engage in a little speculation over what’s next on Big Country’s agenda.
In the only heavyweight clash showcased on UFC 185’s stacked main card, divisional mainstays Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem aimed to pad their respective title runs.
With a combination of raw punching power and elite striking technique, the heavyweigh…
In the only heavyweight clash showcased on UFC 185‘s stacked main card, divisional mainstays Roy Nelson and Alistair Overeem aimed to pad their respective title runs.
With a combination of raw punching power and elite striking technique, the heavyweight throwdown was pegged as a potential show stopper.
Luckily for fight fans watching around the world, the titanic clash lived up to the hype.
Overeem’s striking ultimately reigned supreme, but Nelson did land a few flush shots to cause concern.
Here is what we learned from Saturday’s heavyweight bout and Overeem’s impressive unanimous-decision victory.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
As hard as it is for veterans to adopt fresh tendencies, Overeem’s patient and calculated striking continues to evolve.
Unfortunately for Nelson, Saturday was just another step in The Reem’s process of becoming a bona fide heavyweight title contender.
From leg kicks to oblique strikes, from quick jabs to body strikes, Overeem pounded Nelson like he was kneading bakery dough.
While Nelson landed his fair share of right hands and uppercuts, the Dutchman avoided any seriously dangerous situations. He demonstrated the overall versatility and focus to push through a true knockout artist.
And for that, Overeem’s performance was one to remember.
What We Learned About Overeem
Like an old dog learning new tricks, Overeem continues to prove that he can adapt to the talent-rich heavyweight division.
Unlike previous performances, The Reem kept his cool, picked his shots, maintained distance and utilized his mixture of speed and technique. It’s a deadly combination for any future opponent to face and one that was simply overwhelming for a one-punch finisher like Nelson.
Look for Overeem to build off this victory and improve on his already elite striking skills even more.
What We Learned About Nelson
At this point in his career, it’s becoming evident that Nelson is a one-trick pony.
With some of the best power punches in the UFC today, especially his overhand right, Big Country has the ability to finish a fight at any time.
But when he’s matched up with a superior striker like he was at UFC 185, things tend to take a turn for the worse. He just doesn’t possess the all-around game to push the pace and score points when he’s behind on the scorecards.
And because of that, Nelson is going to have a tough time capturing victory in the future outside of first-round knockouts.
What’s Next for Overeem
The time has come.
Overeem has finally done enough within the UFC heavyweight division to garner serious consideration for a title shot sometime in 2015.
He most likely has to win one more fight before challenging the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum, but The Reem is so close he can smell it.
A future showdown with Junior dos Santos makes the most sense at this time.
What’s Next for Nelson
On the heels of two straight disappointing defeats, Nelson will be forced to come out swinging the next time he steps inside of the cage.
The 38-year-old’s professional window is closing as we speak. However, with elite punching power, Nelson is always one punch away from proving his worth in a rather shallow division.
A fight with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is the most logical matchup to make right now.
At a press event in the Philippines to promote UFC Fight Night 66, UFC officials announced that the promotion will be returning to Japan with an event headlined by heavyweight veterans Josh Barnett and Roy Nelson. Not only that, but Barnett and Nelson will compete as coaches in a new reality show entitled Road to UFC: Japan.